Beet-harvesting machine



Aug 12-, 1924 1,504,484

F. w. KNOWLES BEET HARVESTING MACHINE Filed NOV. 22 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mento'u Aug. 12 1924. 1,504,484

' 'F. w. KNOWLEIS BEET HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wf/VESSEg FfiA/VK m Away 55 abtolwcq Patented Aug. 12, 1924.

STA TE FRANK w; KNowLEs, or SEATTLE, wnsnnvsrou.

BEETI-HARVESTDNG. MAGHINE.

Application filedw November 22, 1922. Serial No. 602,617..

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LFRANK W. Kuowrrs, a citizen of the United. States, residing at. Seattle, in the county of King and State of- Nashingttcnn. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- BeetHarvesting Machines-,.ofwhich tlie following is a speci fication.

The present invention relates to beet harvesting machines and has for its principal object to improve upon the topper disclosed in Letters Patent No. 11,401,413 issued to me on. the 27th day of December, 1921.

The object of the invention is toproduce a topper mechanism. which will be simple and. eflicient in: construction, reliable in operation, and well adapted for the purpose for which it is designed.

A particular" object of. the invention is to provide a practical structure which will operate without interference with the delivering mechanism suclr as is shown in said Letters Patent. k

lVitlr the above and numerous other objects in. view as willappear as the description progresses,,the invention resides in certainv novel features of construction, and the combination: and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In. the drawing Figure 1 is an elevation. of. the topper mechanism embodying. my invention show ing the same in conjunction with a. raising or delivering mechanism similar to that disclosed. in. the aforementioned Letters Patent,

Figure 2. is a top plan of the topper mechanism,

Figure 3. is a fragmentary vertical section thenetlirough, and.

Figure 4' is a. detail: view showing the roller cooperating with the cam track for operation. of the grippers.

Referring to the drawing in detail it will be noted that the delivering mechanism partially illustrated hereis substantially the same as that described in the aforementioned Letters Patent consisting of'the hub portion 1 having radiating therefrom the grippers 2 which grasp the beetsv or rather the tops thereof and deliver the beets into the topping mechanism about to be described.

The topping mechanism disclosed in said Letters Patent has proved rather imprac ticable because when the fingers thereof are depressed they interfere and engage the grippers 2 and it is the particular object of this inventionto eliminate this inefficient operation of the structure described in said Letters Patent. My improved structure consists of the fingers 10 which are bowed intermediate their ends and have the diverging ends 11. through which the beets enter. The shanks 12 of these fingers extend parallel with each other. A platform 13 is provided at one end with a block or standard 1 1 throughwhich these shanks 12 extend being. loosely held in place by the members 15 which have inner rounded faces engaging with rounded recesses at each end of the apertures 16. A bar 16 is provided at its ends with. apertures for receiving the shanks 12 and is fixed in place by the collars 1'2. A vertical aperture is provided centrally in: this bar 16 for receiving a bolt 18 about which is disposed a spring 19. The bolt 18 pierces the platform 13 and a nut 20 is disposed. on each end thereof and thus it. will be seen that the shanks 12 may pivot in vertical planes, the spring 19 through the intermediacy of the bar 16 holding them horizontally under normal conditions. A pair of standards 22 rise vertically from the platform 13 and are provided with arouate shaped racks 23 which. are engaged with pinions 24 keyed to the shanks 12 so that as these fingers pivot in vertical planes they will simultaneously rotate. As the beet passes through the curved ends 11 of the fingers 10, the top thereof being held by the grippers 2 as explained in the aforementioned Letters Patent the beet will have a tendency to depress or pivot downwardly the-fingers 10. As these fingers move downwardly and the beet slides longitudinally thereof they will rotate and the bowed portions of the fingers will come towards each other always engaging the stock of the beet as it slides longitudinally thereof. Any portions of the fingers which are depressed to a plane lower than the edge of the grippers 2 would be rotated sufiiciently so as to straddle them. and not engage them.

A knife 25 is carried by a link 26. It is to be noted. that the bracket 27 forming a part of the knife 25 is provided with an apertured lip having. a corrugated face for cooperating with a corrugated lip extending from one end of the link 26 and a screw 28 holds these lips in engagement with each other so that there will be a rigid and adjustable relation between the knife and the vlink QG -The link26 is; provided at its other end with an apertured lip having a corrugated face for'cooperating with a lip 29 extending from the reciprocating head '30 an'd a screw- 3.1 holds ftlie'link 26in adjusted 'fiXed relation'tothis lip 29,; Thus the-relation"of-the knife may be readily adjusted as may befound desirable in 'rela- .tion to the reciprocating head 30, The reciprocatinghead 3O lias its ends apertured L forreceiving the shanks'12'of the'fingers 1O 1 so asfto'slidelongitudinally therealong. A

connecting rod 33; is si'iitablyattachedto the I head '30 and is operated by'a' crank 34' on theshaft' 35' W'lllCh'lIlfiY be rotated through a bevel gear 36." This bevel gear 36 is: in

' mesh with a bevelgear 87 carried by a shaft 1 38 whicli-is rotated by the gear 39 meshing w'ith thelvalve gear'tO. on .thehub portion v 1. I The'platforn1 13 is supported by suitable standards 41 preferably attached to the cam track 42'- which is engaged by; the rollers 1 on-t'he grippers 2. It-is thought opei'atioii o'f 'thedevice will now bereadily understood when ta ken inconjunction with thatfthe' construction the .strji'ictu'ref shown in Letters Patent N0.

1,4O1, ll3 aiid it sliould also bereadily underfstoodfthat the structurethus described may beutilized inconjunction with other deliveringinechanisms and that numerous changes in the ClGtElllSQOfCOIlStIfLICtlOn alld ln the com- 'bination, and'arrangement of partsmay be V resorted to without departing from the spirit f. :the invention as hereinafter claimed. 7

"IIaving thus described my'inventionfwhat I'claini as new 1s: I

1. In topper meclianisima knife, a pair offingersassociated 7 witlr'the knife and bowed intermediate their ends, and means [for rotating "the fingers upon depression 't'hereofin-the manner and forthe purpose "-2; In atopper mechanism ofthe class described,ja knife,fa pair of bowed fingers as.- sociatedivith, the knife, shanks provided on the finge'rs,'ineans forrotatably and pivotally attaching thefends of the shanks, and

'n'ieans 'for rotatingthe fingers upon depression thereof in the manner and for the pur- "po'sespecifiedir I 3. In combination, a knife, a pair of fingei-s associated with the knife and bowed intermediate their ends, means for support ing adjacent ends of the fingers sogthat they may. be rotated and pivoted, standards pro- Videdwithracks, and pinions on the fingers engaging said racks so th at the fingers will be rotatedwhen-pivoted. V

. pose specified.

reciprocating head movable 4. In a topper mechanism of the class described, a knife,a pair of fingers associated with the knife, said fingers being bowed intermediate their ends and provided with straight parallelly extending shanks, means for pivoting the shanks at their ends so that they may rotate, means for normally holding theshanks in a substantially horizontally'position, and means for rotating the fingers upon depression thereof.

5. Ina topper mechanism of the class described, a knife, a pair of fingers associated with the'knife and provided with bowed iiitermediate portions and straight shanks disposed in parallelism, means for rotatably and pivotally mounting the 'ends' of the shanks, means for normally holding. the

shanks in a substantially horizontal position, a pair of racks, and a pair of pinions one on each shank engageable with the racks so that the fingers will be rotated upon depressionthereof in the manner and for the pur- 6. In combination, a delivering mechanism and a topper mechanism associated therewith and including a knife, a pair of fingers associated with the knifeso as to. receive the beets from the delivering mechanism, said fingers being bowed intermediate their ends, means for pivotally and rotatablyniounting the fingers, and means for rotating the fingers as the beets'pass longitudinally therealong and depress the same whereby the fingers will properly guide the beets and clear thefldelivering mechanism in the manner and for the'purpose specified.

7. In a beet'harvesting machine, a topper mechanism including a pair of fingers having bowed portions and straight shanks, 'means for pivotally and rotatably supportguide mechanism, and a reciprocating knife,

means for reciprocating the knife including a head, and a link adjustably connected to the head and to the knife.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W. KNOWLES.

Witnesses LLOYD R. SAVAGE, T. M. JOHNSON. 

